Two killed in plane crash

A microlight flight ended in tragedy when the pilot and his passenger were killed in a crash early yesterday morning.

Andries van Dijk, the owner of the Wintervogel airstrip on a farm near Malmesbury, said the pilot, Trygve Skorge, had been trying to make an emergency landing when the light aircraft crashed.

Both Skorge, 52, and his passenger, a 27-year-old Table View man, were killed in the crash.

"He [Skorge] must have had some trouble in the air and tried to make an emergency landing. As he was trying to do so, the fuel tank exploded," said Van Dijk.

"My farm people tried to extinguish the flames using a fire wagon but the bodies were charred," he said.

Van Dijk said the passenger's brother had seen the accident from the airstrip.

"I spoke to the passenger's brother. He was on the field waiting for them to get back so that he could go on the next flight."

He said the German-born Skorge had operated his business, Aquila Microlight Safaris and Training, from his airfield for the past 11 years.

"He was a very good pilot and very professional. He'd been on my airfield for 11 years. Before that I knew him for 10 years."

Police spokesman Warrant Officer November Filander said the cause of the accident was being investigated.

Skorge's son and daughter were on holiday in Germany at the time.

Filander said he could not release the name of the passenger until his next of kin had been informed.